The Icelandic Canadian - 01.08.2006, Qupperneq 13

Vol. 60 #2
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
55
Governor General Medal
Terry Fox Humanitarian Award
The Community Service Award
Jon Sigurdsson Chapter IODE
Halldor also set a world record, claim-
ing a gold medal in the 1988 Seoul
Paralympics in the 1500 metre tricycle
event. In 1992 Halldor competed in the
Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain. This was
in fact a better day for Halldor in that he
was able to beat his previous time, unfortu-
nately he was out of the medal range in that
race, placing fourth.
Halldor is candid and humble about
his accomplishments, he feels he is fortu-
nate to have arrived where he has in life and
has a strong sense that he must give back.
He is a person who loves a challenge and
never seems to steer away from one when it
presents itself. I was grateful for the oppor-
tunity to meet him.
Overcoming Challenges
Reprinted with permission of the Law
Soceity of British Columbia © Copyright
2004. All rights reserved.
by Toni Armanno
6:00 a.m.
It may be a brilliant summer morning
with a light breeze or dark midwinter with
icy rain. Whatever the weather, Halldor
Bjarnason is seated on his Joachim 12-
speed, prepared to cycle his daily nineteen
kilometres.
“My doctor told me that when you're
nearing forty," says Bjarnason, who is thir-
ty-nine, "it's important to keep fit." So in
addition to cycling, he is in the gym three
times a week, hoisting weights. He also
hikes the North Shore mountains and skis
cross-country. If getting into a wet suit
wasn't a problem he'd still be scuba diving,
as well. An impressive, disciplined regimen
for anyone, but perhaps even more so for
Bjarnason, who has cerebral palsy.
On the other hand, this is a man who
has competed in six international games,
and at the 1988 Seoul Paralympics set a
world record in the 1500 metre tricycle
sprint.
Cerebral palsy: "cerebral" refers to the
brain, specifically the cerebrum, the upper
part of the organ and the director of con-
scious mental processes; "palsy" can signi-
fy paralysis, but more usually is associated
with uncontrollable tremors.
Cerebral palsy is the result of damage
to the brain’s motor centres before, during
or shortly after birth. It is believed to occur
in one of every 1,000 deliveries. Often cere-
bra palsyis the result of anoxia (extreme
lack of oxygen), but can be caused also
through trauma or infection.The effects
range from mild to severe, but most notice-
able are incoordination of movements and
difficulty in speaking. The authors of
“Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing” write
“a major goal is to foster in the child with
cerebral palsy a positive self-image—moti-
vation to learn, development of indepen-
dence, need to socialize and be accepted.
In an autobiographical sketch,
Bjarnason writes "Halldor arrived in the
world on Hallowe'en-undetermined
whether delivered by bats, goblins or nat-
ural processes. Parents were happy, rest of
the world cringed. Went to school, causing
great havoc—the public school system was
not used to dealing with a participant who
walked funny." This is typical of
Bjarnason, who has made part of his living
supplying jokes to public speakers.
Bjarnason's grandfather emigrated
from Reykjavik to Brandon, joining a large
Icelandic community in Manitoba.
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